Monday links

What’s the latest in the fields of agriculture, food safety, animal science and toxicology? Check it out here.

Animal Science:

Can horses be taught to pee on command? — The Horse
One veterinarian tackles an issue submitted by a reader: a mare with a bad habit of urinating as soon as she enters her freshly-bedded trailer. Is there a way to train the horse to take care of business before transport?

Drought monitor weekly: A week for extremes — snow, fire and rain — AgFax
A powerful spring storm emerged from the western half of the U.S. and brought extreme conditions to several regions. For example, historic, late-season snow blanketed portions of the northern Plains, upper Midwest, and Great Lakes region, snarling traffic and severely stressing livestock.

America’s fentanyl problem is reaching a whole new group of users — Mother Jones
A familiar narrative about the overdose epidemic has emerged: People addicted to painkillers transitioned to heroin, an opioid chemically similar to the pills, and now they’re dying at astonishing rates, largely because that heroin is mixed with synthetic opioids like fentanyl.

Offbeat:

Inked mice hint at how tattoos persist in people — Science News
After a study involving tatting up mice tails, French researchers have a new claim for why tattoos can survive on the skin for a lifetime, one that turns on its head the previous explanation for tattoo longevity.